Can holder



May 16, 1967 R. c. MALiCOAT CAN HOLDER Filed Aug. 31, 1965 44 Y In v! A ROBERT C. MAL/6047' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,319,916 CAN HOLDER Robert C. Malicoat, Carmichael, Calif. (3495 Concetta Way, Sacramento, Calif. 95821) Filed Aug. 31, 1965, Ser. No. 483,982 8 Claims. (Cl. 248-210) This invention relates to a paint can holder, and more particularly to a device for suspending a can of paint from a rectangular rung of a ladder, and constitutes an improvement over my co-pending applications Ser. No.412,403 filed Nov. 19, 1964, now Patent No. 3,300,167, and Ser. No. 433,272 filed Feb. 17, 1965.

An object of the instant invention is to provide an improved device for gripping and suspending a paint can from a rung of a ladder.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide an improved can holder which may be employed to grasp a paint can and which provides means whereby a painter may manipulate the paint can by grasping and moving the holder.

Still another object of the instant invention is to provide a paint can holder having means thereon to substantially preclude the possibility of accidental dislodgement of the paint can from its support,

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a paint can holder having an adjustable connection for accommodating ladder rungs of varying widths.

A still further object of the instant invention is to provide a paint can holder which is inexpensive to construct, which is foolproof in operation, and which requires no maintenance.

Other objects and advantages of the instant invention reside in the combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction and operation, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of this inventive concept.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the can holder of the instant invention positioned on a ladder rung of a ladder shown in dashed lines and holding a paint can also shown in dashed lines;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the can holder of the instant invention as may be seen from line 2-2 of FIG- URE 1 viewing in the direction of the arrows; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal cross-sectional view of the supporting handle of the paint can holder of the instant invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein like reference characters designate like elements throughout the several views thereof, there is indicated generally at a can holder constructed in accordance with the principles of the instant invention suspended from a rectangular ring 12 of a ladder shown generally at 14. Can holder 10 has as its major components a depending finger shown generally at 16, a straight telescoping member designated generally at 18 and a can receiving means shown generally at 20 carrying a paint can denominated generally at 22 comprising a customary cylindrical wall 24 closed at its lower end by a lower wall 26 forming a lower bead 28 with an upper cylindrical bead 30 resting upon an upper load supporting edge 32 of can receiving means 20. Paint can 22 also includes a pair of aligned bosses 34 rotatably carrying a bail 36 in a conventional manner.

Can receiving means 20 includes a generally annular member 38, which may :be made of any suitable material, but which is preferably made of a spring metal, forming a major portion of a circle and providing a pair of free ends 40 which are outwardly curved as may be seen in FIGURE 2 for conveniently spreading annular member 38 in order to receive cylindrical wall 24 of paint can 22. As previously mentioned, can receiving means 20 forms an upper load supporting edge 32 upon which upper circumferential head 31 of paint can 22 resides. Annular member 38 also forms a pair of slots 42 communicating through free ends for receiving bosses 34 of paint can 22 in load supporting relation.

Straight telescoping member 18 includes a first member 44, which may be of any desired shape, but which is illustrated as cylindrical, forming a conduit 46 which may also be of any desired shape, but which is illustrated as tubular, secured to annular member 38 by a connecting means indicated generally at 48. Connecting means 48 maybe of any desired type, but preferably is formed from member 44 by pressing the walls thereof together to form a fiat section 50 bent at an angle with respect to member 44 and secured by fasteners 52, such as rivets, bolts, screws, or by welding to annular member 38.

It will be seen from FIGURE 1 that upper load supporting edge 32 of can receiving means 20 is disposed at a small acute angle with respect to an extension of the longitudinal axis of conduit 46. As is apparent, this positions paint can 22 slightly tilted toward ladder 14 from the vertical to avoid the possibility of paint can 22 accidentally dislodging from can receiving means 20. It should be noted, however, that an elastic strap or the like may be secured between free ends 40 of annular member 38 to retain can 22 in position.

Straight telescoping member 18 also includes a second member or tube 54 shaped to reciprocate within conduit 46 forming a conduit 56 in which resides a spring bias means designated generally at 58 carrying a stud 60 extending through an aperture 62 in second member 54. Stud 60 is received by one of a plurality of apertures 64 positioned longitudinally in first member 44. Spring bias means 58 includes a lip 66 within conduit 56 of second member 54 secured to the lower end of stud 60 to preclude stud 60 from being outwardly dislodged from aperture 62. Spring bias means 58 also includes a spring shown generally at 68 having a first leg 70 secured to lip 66, a coiled spring member 72 secured to leg 70 and another leg 74 secured to coiled member 72 and fixed to conduit 56 of second member 54.

It will be seen that an individuals downwardly pressing on stud 60 will compress spring 68 to allow relative sliding movement between first and second members 44, 54. When stud 60 is again aligned with one of openings 64, spring 68 will urge stud 60 therein to releasably fix first and second members 44, 54 together. It should be apparent that the reciprocable movement of first and second members 44, 54 will enlarge or diminish the length of handle 18 to accommodate ladder rungs of varying width.

Dependingly secured to second member 54 of straight telescoping member 18 is a finger 16 including a first straight rigid member 76 pointing slightly away from can receiving means 20 connected to a second straight thin rigid member 78 inclined upwardly with an imaginary extension thereof disposed above annular member 38.

A load supporting section of third straight rigid member 80 is secured to second rigid member 78 and is substantially parallel to and spaced from straight telescoping member 18. As may be seen from FIGURE 1, straight member 18 is positioned on the upper surface of ladder rung 12 with first rigid members 76 depending rearwardly thereof. Second telescoping member 54 is positioned such that load supporting member 80 rests against the lower surface of ladder rung 12 to counteract the clockwise moment produced by paint can 22.

A suitable closure 82, which is preferably a resilient member, such as rubber or plastic, closes the outward t2 extremity of second telescoping member 54 to provide a tidy closure for telescoping section 54 thus precluding the fouling of spring means 58 by foreign matter.

In the utilization of can holder 10, paint can 22 may be opened in the conventional manner and inserted in can receiving means 20. When the painter ascends ladder 14, he may grasp can holder 19 by placing the heel of the hand about depending finger 16 with straight member 18 being surrounded by fingers of the hand. When the appropriate height has been reached on ladder 14, paint can 22 and can holder 20 will be inserted between ladder rungs 12 with straight section 18 coming to rest on the upper surface thereof with load supporting member 80 coming in contact with the lower surface of rung 12. If it is found that ladder rung 12 is too wide to be received at the initial setting of telescoping members 44,

54, stud 60 may be depressed with members 44, 54 being expanded by an outward sliding movement.

It is thus seen that there is herein provided an improved paint can holder having all of the objects of this invention and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept, and since many modifications may 'be made in the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described such as by curving straight member 18 adjacent can receiving means 20, it is to be understood that the foregoing is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: 1. A paint can holder comprising can receiving means including an annular member forming at least a portion of a circle having an upper edge adapted to receive in load supporting relation a bead of a paint can,

means for releasably grasping a ladder rung including a substantially straight member secured to said can receiving means carrying a depending finger having a load carrying portion substantially parallel to and spaced from said straight member,

said straight member including a first element comprising a conduit and a plurality of openings communicating with said conduit, a second element slidably fitted within said conduit and means on said second element including a stud and resilient means for biasingly urging said stud into one of said openings for releasably fixing said first element to said second element.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said annular member of said can receiving means forms a major portion of a circle having two free ends provided with a pair of transversely aligned slots for receiving a pair of bail receiving bosses of a paint can.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein said depending finger includes a first thin rigid portion extending from said straight member away from said can receiving means and a thin second rigid portion joined to said first rigid portion adjacent the terminus thereof extending at an acute angle with respect to said first portion toward said can receiving means, said load carrying portion being secured to said second rigid portion.

4. The structure of claim 1 wherein said first element is secured to said can receiving means and said second element carries said depending finger.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein said second element comprises a tube having an aperture receiving said stud, said stud being of greater length than the combined thicknesses of the walls of said first and second elements.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein said stud carries a lip inwardly of said second element larger than said aperture.

7. The structure of claim 6 wherein said resilient means comprises a spring fixed within said second element urging said stud through said aperture.

8. The structure of claim 1 wherein said upper load supporting edge of said can receiving means is disposed at an acute angle with respect to the axis of said straight member in the plane of said straight member and said finger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 791,531 6/1905 Althofi 248-238 1,858,656 5/1932 Batherman 248-210 2,774,562 12/1956 Henry 248-315 X 2,879,023 3/ 1959 Barrier et al 248-226 3,103,334 9/1963 Thomas 248-238 3,285,557 11/1966 Reda 248-210 JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PAINT CAN HOLDER COMPRISING CAN RECEIVING MEANS INCLUDING AN ANNULAR MEMBER FORMING AT LEAST A PORTION OF A CIRCLE HAVING AN UPPER EDGE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE IN LOAD SUPPORTING RELATION A BEAD OF A PAINT CAN, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY GRASPING A LADDER RUNG INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT MEMBER SECURED TO SAID CAN RECEIVING MEANS CARRYING A DEPENDING FINGER HAVING A LOAD CARRYING PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO AND SPACED FROM SAID STRAIGHT MEMBER, SAID STRAIGHT MEMBER INCLUDING A FIRST ELEMENT COMPRISING A CONDUIT AND A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CONDUIT, A SECOND ELEMENT SLIDABLY FITTED WITHIN SAID CONDUIT AND MEANS ON SAID SECOND ELEMENT INCLUDING A STUD AND RESILIENT MEANS FOR BIASINGLY URGING SAID STUD INTO ONE OF SAID OPENINGS FOR RELEASABLY FIXING SAID FIRST ELEMENT TO SAID SECOND ELEMENT. 